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Guillaume Canet was born in Boulogne-Billancourt on 10 April 1973 to a family of horse breeders. Canet intended to become a show jumper and was a member of the junior French National Equestrian Team.[1] However, after a fall from his horse at age 18 he turned to acting and enrolled in the Cours Florent drama school. In 1994, he appeared in the Théâtre Hébertot production of La Ville dont le prince est un enfant with Christophe Malavoy. After working in various television shows and commercials, Canet made his film debut in the short film Fils unique.

In 1997, he appeared in the thriller film Barracuda for which he won a prix d'interprétation (best actor award) at the Festival Saint-Jean-de-Luz in 1999. The same year he was nominated for a César Award for his role as Vincent Mazet in the comedy film En plein cœur. He then traveled abroad to film Danny Boyle's The Beach. After completing The Beach, Canet starred opposite Sophie Marceau in La fidélité and in Jerry Schatzberg's The Day the Ponies Come Back.

In 1999, he started a relationship with German-born model and actress Diane Kruger.[5] They were married on 1 September 2001.[6] In January 2006, Canet and Kruger filed for divorce.[7] Kruger later said that the marriage was not successful because their careers had kept them occupied in different parts of the world.[8] After his divorce, Canet started a relationship with model Carla Bruni that was widely reported by the French media,[9] and later he was in a relationship with actress Élodie Navarre.[10][11]

Canet has been in a relationship with actress Marion Cotillard since October 2007. The two had known each other since 1997,[12] and years later starred together in the 2003 film Love Me If You Dare.[13] They later co-starred in the 2009 film The Last Flight.[14] The couple has attracted considerable attention from the French media, but for a long time they did not discuss their relationship and did not appear together on a red carpet event until the Cannes Film Festival in 2009.[15] The couple has a son together, Marcel, born on 19 May 2011.[16] The couple are not married. Though since 2010 Cotillard has been spotted wearing a diamond solitaire on her left hand – a present from Canet – they are not engaged either.[17] In 2014, Cotillard denied being married to Canet,[18] instead referring to him as "my boyfriend" in interviews.[19][20][21][22] The couple welcomed their second child, a girl named Louise in 2017.[23]

In July 2012, photographer Jean-Claude Elfassi accused Canet of violence during an altercation as Canet and Cotillard arrived home from the hospital maternity ward with their new baby in May 2011. According to the photographer, Canet left his house with an iron bar and threatened him before police stepped in. Elfassi's son filmed the actor with his cell phone and while Canet made sure the footage was erased from the web, photos were published on French magazine Entrevue.[24] Elfassi and his son attempted to sue the actor for "violence" and "theft" and their case was not only dismissed, but Elfassi faces charges for "false accusation" and could spend nine months in jail.[25]

Canet is an accomplished show jumper and between 2012 and 2017 participated in 623 competitions, winning 33 of them and taking nearly €67,000 in prize money. He was notably placed in competitions at international shows in Paris, La Baule and Chantilly Jumping.[26]